Day 78 - Patty out sick

Today, Patty was out sick. She drank some bad orange juice yesterday and was up all night throwing up and in the bathroom. I said to her, "We are in this together. We work out together and we stick together". This is not a cop out for me not working out. I wanted to go tonight but not without her.

She is still in bed tonight and hasn't been able to eat anything with her stomach problems. Keith just called to make sure that she was alright. Our next session is Thursday at 5:00 and we will be ready!

Peace!

Jerry

Day 76 - Softball Practice

Today, I had softball practice for my workout. Our church has joined Mesa's Winter League (E Division) and I decided that I wanted the fellowship and comeraderie of my friends and felt that I should be up to the challenge of playing again. For those of you who don't know, I had broken my toe earlier this year playing with the church in the Tempe D League for early winter and spring seasons. I had stopped playing in the middle of spring season due to severe leg problems and and wasn't sure if I was going to ever play again. Alot of what went on had to do with my poor attitude and I had a heart to heart with some others who pointed out that I was being somewhat selfish in my heart.

I felt that with the extra workouts that Patty & I had been doing, I should be able to handle the running and fielding. I have noticed with the extra few pounds off, I am a bit more agile and I am enjoying things a tad more. I really am looking forward to playing with the guys and giving my best effort.

I started off with my standard stretching warm ups. This is, in my opinion, one of the crucial elements that I had been neglecting in the previous seasons. What Keith has shown me in proper stretching methods, I have noticed that I am not as sore and tired as I was previously. I was shagging balls and able to make plays which I was not able to do before. My mobility is much better and I am really having fun. We started with each playing fielding some balls at shortstop and then at third base. We then went to the outfield to catch some flys. After that, we were doing batting practice and I was given some pointers as to how to better connect with the ball and bat. My hitting has improved since Spring season. I think a few sessions at the batting cages and I will be back on track.

Next Saturday, we will be doing a scrimmage game to see where we stand as a ball team. I can't wait! It's amazing how things seem so much better now that I am out and moving about again! I am still jazzed about the 7 pounds that I lost. I don't think I went overboard on Thanksgiving since the weight loss was still fresh in my mind. I did make my Chocolate Sinsation Cheesecake and did endulge in a slice but other than that, I was pretty good.

Till next time,

Jerry

Day 73 - Reprogram Results

All I can say is "Whooo Hoooo!!!!" - 7 lbs. lost since our last weigh in on Oct. 17th and 5 7/8" total inches lost on arms, chest, waist and thighs! I am so gratified and thankful - especially since tomorrow is Thanksgiving. God has really blessed Patty & me this year. Things were looking so bleak and dismal at the beginning of the year and now that we are nearing the end of 2005, God has truly shown how merciful and gracious He really is!

Our total weight drop since being diagnosed with diabetes is now at 20 lbs. (since July, 2005) and my sugar level has dropped from a high of 314 and 356 (end of day) to 120-122 in the morning and 137 at night. We still have a ways to go to keep this under control but if all goes well over the next 6 months, my doctor says that we may be able to control the diabetes with diet and exercize and I would be off the Metformin! This is a major miracle and I have to publicly thank God for his Grace and Provision in our life! Thank you Lord!

Well, after all the good news tonight, it was off to the ball for our Reprogram session. We did our stretching and our warm ups and then it was ab crunch time. Patty & I did 3 sets of abs and some iso abs together with Keith. He decided to do a workout along with us. He stated that he is quite happy with the results so far with us. Our posture and stamina/endurance has improved tremendously. I am so grateful that Patty & I made the decision to commit to the twice a weeks with Keith and the 2 sets on our own. It has made a tremendous impact on our relationship - just that we are doing something together. It's another side benefit that neither one of us had counted on.

Take a moment and drop me a line. Let me know what you are thankful for this year. I really appreciate that you have taken a couple of minutes to share in this journey with Patty & me.

Thank you and God Bless You!

Jerry

Day 71 - Kicking & Screaming

I told Keith that he had my committment but he will hear me "Kicking & Screaming" the entire way there. It's not that I don't want to work out but I whine when I can't complete a routine. I whine because I am not perfect and when my muscles (or lack there of) give out, I kind of mentally shut down.

Tonight's workout was good. Keith has me on 8 lb. weights for scapulas. These seem to be the toughest for me to do as it is focused on forearms and shoulders. He had me on 20 lb. weights for each arm on the chest press. I kind of grumbled as he had just kicked me up to 15 lb. weights a week ago and I didn't think I could do the 20's (this is for each arm so that's a 10 lb. increase for a total of 40 lbs.).

We ended the training and went downstairs where Keith had to do 320 push ups/sit ups/ball squats for the food drive. The program is "Torture The Trainer" and for each can/item of food brought in, the trainer has to do a push up/sit up or squat. Keith had 320 to do! Woo Hoo!!!

Wednesday is our reprogram day so we see if we've lost any weight and/or any inches. I am not getting too confident on this but I've seen some structural changes on my stomach. I will let you know what comes up.

Till next time,

Jerry

Day 69 - Ball Aerobics

I didn't do too well this morning but Patty thoroughly enjoyed the session. I am still battling the head cold and kind of pooped out 1/2 way into the workout. I came back in for the remaining 10-15 minutes but I know that I kind of quit in the midst of the training. Patty was drenched from head to toe and she made it through without too much trouble. I have to do better to keep up with her!!

Our next session is Monday with Keith and then Wednesday as this week is shorter with the Thanksgiving holiday. I will be making my Chocolate Sin Triple Chocolate Delight Cheesecake for Casey's In-Laws where we will be going for Turkey Day. I love to bake - good thing I will not be eating the extra sweetness and pounds!!

See Ya,

Jerry

Day 67 - Better than Monday

Tonight was a better workout than on Monday. We missed last night as Patty was feeling a bit under the weather and so was I. I have been fighting this stuffy head for the past 2 weeks and can't seem to shake it.

We started out with a 10 min. cardio warm up and then it was upstairs to stretch and limber up for our session with Keith. We ended up doing a few more routines focusing on the oblique portions of our abs and did some of the same routines we have been doing. Keith is adding more to our regimen and we ended up with 2 sets of each exercize as we are now doing more.

It's still fun and we are both loving the program! We ended our session with another 10 min. cardio cool down and went home to pick up Casey who was watching our dog, Pippin.

Next session will be Saturday morning for a Ball Aerobics challenge.

Day 64 - Back On

It was back on tonight after the Disneyland adventure. Both Patty & I were still feeling wiped out from California but we made our 6:00 appointment with Keith. The weights were taken up a bit on most of the routines primarily due to availability.

We started out with a quick 10 minute cardio warm up which was good as my legs were still aching and I needed to stretch them out. Then, Keith had us do our warm up stretching before we started our weights. We did many of the same routines as previous however, we did some of them in different orders (some standing and some on the ball).

Our bodies were not cooperating with us tonight so we ended with 1 set of reps. and then went to the jacuzzi to soak our pain. I was really looking forward to that but I know that we'll get better on our next session. We go back to the gym on Wednesday for a session 1 set of machines with cardio. I'm hoping that the jacuzzi is available without the interruption of the water aerobics class but not holding my breath.

Still sore in Arizona,

Jerry

Day 63 - Disneyland

Today, we did something really spontaneous. We decided to go to Disneyland and have a little fun. We have been somewhat stressed out from work/life things happening and needed to enjoy the time together so off to Anaheim we went. We originally thought of driving after work on Friday night, do the Disney thing and drive back on Sunday but I thought of how tired I was going to be so we decided to fly and rent a car for a couple of days. That was a good move however, if I had planned a few weeks earlier, I could have saved some money on the flight.

We arrived at the park around 9:00 am and it was already packed. This was the first weekend that Disney had the holiday stuff off and there was plenty of Christmas music and holiday cheer all around the park. Our first ride was Star Tours which took about 20 minutes to get on then we went to the Autopia cars. I wanted to do the newly reopened Space Mountain but with Patty's headaches, I did not want to aggrivate that.

We then headed off to Frontierland and the famous Tiki Room which is always one of my favorites. Next, we got a ride on the Jungle Cruise which took almost an hour to get on. We got fast pass tickets for the Indiana Jones ride but that was not going to be for a few hours so we headed over to New Orleans Square. I called on Friday to make a reservation with the Blue Bayou restaurant which was a good thing as they didn't have anything open for the rest of the day and we ate lunch which was absolutely wonderful. This is the best restaurant in Disneyland unless you know someone who has a membership in Club 33. Club 33 is the most exclusive membership club at Disneyland (only about 430-480 members worldwide) and you can only get into Club 33 if you are a member or have a member make a reservation for you. Club 33, rumor has it, costs about $10,000 for a membership and annual renewals are $3,000 to $5,000 and it takes approx. 2-3 years after your application is taken to actually get in. If you like Disneyland, check out the following website http://www.disneylandclub33.com/ and see what I am talking about.

After lunch, we headed back to the Indiana Jones ride before heading over to California Adventure. We did the park hopper thing and I was glad we did. The California Adventure was a blast. We went on the Grizzly Rapids (where I got soaked!). Patty really enjoyed the Twilight Zone's Hollywood Hotel ride and I loved the Soarin' over California. This was the first time we had done California Adventure and it was quite fun.

We then headed back to the main park for the remainder of our stay. When we got back, all the streets were crowded for one of the parades but somehow managed to get through to Fantasyland for It's a Small World. The wait was 65 to 75 minutes and my feet were killing me. I didn't want to wait that long so we made it to Toon Town and took the train around Disneyland to get back to New Orleans Square (besides, I was getting pooped and starving). We couldn't find a place to sit down and eat but finally found one of the restaurants and they didn't have a place to sit down as all the tables were taken for those wanting to watch the Fantasmic show. The restaurant had us take our food with us to the Golden Horsehoe restaurant where we ate our barbacue chicken dinner.

We proceeded to Pirates of the Caribbean where we got on in about 15 minutes as most of the folks were outside waiting for Fantasmic to begin. They changed the attraction a bit but it was a lot of fun. After Pirates, it was off to the Haunted Mansion where it was redone for Christmas and relabled as The 13 Days of Christmas which was based on Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and it was quite excellent. Patty & I loved "Beetle Juice" and of course "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory" so the Haunted Mansion was sure to be great and it didn't disappoint us.

After all this, I was done. I could barely walk so we finished up our adventure with some shopping and called it a night. We left the park around 11:45 pm and headed back to the motel so we could rest up for the trip home. Over all, it was a fantastic weekend but I am totally sore and exhausted. I love Disneyland!!

Monday is our next workout with Keith and I'm sure I will be challenged due to the pain from all the walking and up and down lots of stairs. After we're in shape, we'll do this again to see if we have any stamina.

Jerry

Day 61 - More Failure

Tonight, we got to the gym at 5:00 only to find out that our appointments are now at 6:00 so we were a little disoriented as to what to do for an hour. Patty & I took this opportunity to do a little extra cardio on the treadmill to kill the time prior to warming up for our session with Keith.

Keith has been talking about muscle failure with us and pushing our endurance factors which he calls muscle failure. We ended up doing our warm up stretching including 3 sets of ab crunches and I did 2 sets of planks at 30 seconds each. That is a real tough routine when you are not that limber. Patty is also progressing right along on that. She's such a trooper on this. She really pushed me to want to do more and is very motivating and encouraging to me.

Keith had us stirring things up with our routines tonight. We mixed things up with variations on standing with weights and sitting on the ball with weights for our routines. I did a lot better on the ball squats with curls with better focus on my posture. We were only able to make it through 2 sets of reps but I know that we'll get to 3 sets on Monday.

This weekend, Patty & I are driving to Disneyland for some downtime R&R. Looking forward to Mickey & Goofy. Hope all is well in your world!

Jerry

Day 58 - Grueling

Tonight was another grueling workout. Keith has increased our routines up to 3 reps and he has also increased my weights again. We had to make due with what was available and the 8 lb. weights were no where to be found so he gave me some 12 1/2 lb. weights which I had for most of the exercizes except the scapula exercizes which I am still struggling with at 5 lbs. for each arm. The good news is I made it through 2 full sets on the scapulas and the third, I struggled with at the end but still made it through even though I had to stop midstream.

I was feeling quite a bit under the weather and felt so much better through the workout. We completed the session with a 20 minute cardio on the treadmill - Patty chose the LifeCycle bike to do her cardio. Overall, it was a very intense and grueling session but I like it!!

Our next session with Keith is Thursday which will be more of the same but more changing up of the order of things. Patty & I will be in the gym on Wednesday night for a machine set 1.

Till next time,

Jerry

Day 56 - Softball Practice

Tonight, we had softball practice at the Freestone Park in Gilbert. I have been off for a few months after I had broken my toe earlier this year. It's been about 8 months since I've played ball and I thought with all the workouts that we've been doing over the past 2 months, I would be ready to go. Plans never are what they are supposed to be. I was really rough out there but I could tell that I was a lot more mobile and a bit quicker, at least in the beginning. My hitting was a bit to be desired but I got a few out of the infield.

We'll see how this progresses. Practices are going to be on Saturday mornings and games on Thursday evening starting in December. I hope that I can play well but more importantly, have fun.

Jerry

Day 55 - Failure

Tonight, I felt really like a failure but it was okay. Keith has increased the weights that I am using to mostly 8 lbs. - up from the 5 lb. weights and we did what we could on them. It was quite difficult and I struggled all night long but made it through the routines (mostly).

I had a really hard time and could not complete many of the routines which I felt that I was mastering but the failure wasn't in me but in my muscles. I was getting really down on myself but Keith explained that this was exactly what he wants to get done. We are pushing ourselves to the limit that we can physically do and try to push a little more until we come to a point of muscle failure. The reasoning is that we don't want to rely on old weight levels and become complacent in our workouts. He is changing up the routines to put them in different orders and done differently. After he expained that it wasn't me failing but my muscles, I was getting better with that but I hate to quit and I hate losing so I am trying my best to understand. He is the trainer and I am the trainee so that's where it has to be. If I knew it already, I wouldn't need him, right?!

Tomorrow, our friends Heather Smith & Bryan Deakin are getting married in Scottsdale. I am looking forward to a wonderful time with Patty and to enjoy visiting with my friends and church family.

Till next time,

Jerry

Day 52 - Back to the pain

Today was a return to the pain after being off since last Thursday. We did have some fun on Saturday but that wasn't a high intensity workout we get with Keith. Tonight, we again focused on the abs and did a new manuver called "the Plank" which is like a standard push up but you hold yourself up on your forearms in the push up position for 25 seconds. My knees are old and rusty but I was able to do 2 sets at 10 seconds and then 2 more sets at 25 seconds but this took a big toll on them. I know that with time, the knees will get stronger and my ability to do more things with my knees will be greatly improved.

After the plank, we did 2 sets of ab crunches and then a new type of ab crunch that Keith showed us. We did some isolinear ab holds on the ball and then it was off to the ball with the free weights. Keith has moved most of my weights to 2 each of the 8 pounders. With the shoulder lifts, I am still struggling with the 5 pounders. With the shoulder presses, Keith has me up on the 15 pounders which are a real struggle but I have to build muscle mass.

We did 2 sets of the exercizes on the ball and then it was off to the treadmill for cardio. 18 minutes of cardio for the evening and we were then complete. After we completed our workout, we went to get our meal plans for the next phase of our weight program. I'll post later the foods that I will be eating. I have a meeting with Troy Albright (pharmacist/nutritionist) tomorrow morning to have him review the menu plans and go over my saliva test. We will be talking about the results and what I have to do to get to my goals.

The Apex Fitness (http://www.apexfitness.com) website has a bunch of information on their program. I was told by Keith that I should be taking a set of pills called "Fat 1" which are a Lipotropics type of supplement. This is supposed to work on the liver and help burn the fat cells inside the liver and surrounding it. This is one that I want to talk to Troy prior to just adding to my daily diet. We picked up some of their power bars to work with our food program.

I'll post tomorrow what my results with Troy are. This has been quite a lengthy post so I'll cut it off now. Till next time,

Jerry